Vehicle-signal.



F. .L BENHOA. k

VEHCLE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION man www.` 1917.

1 ,273,990. Patentee July 30, H918.

2 SHEETS- SHEET l.

F6 flezzanventor 1 by I o Attorneys F-.yIi-'BENImA.

n VEHICLE SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2?. |911.

1,273,990.' memuuly30-191s- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W'itnesses FZizln/aezzkzlnventor by F.

Attorneys sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

una; .1. enmarca, or TAMPA, menthe, Assrenon To NEW vom: SIGNAL co., ING., ror

. NEW Yonx, N. Y.

vnHIcnnAsIeNAL.

To all-whom it may concern.:

Be i 'known that I, FELIX J. Bn'N'IToA, a citizen of AS` ain,vresiding at Tampa, in the county of Hi lsborough and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Vehicle. Signal, of which the following 'is a specification.

signals, and is particularly an improvement over the vehicle signal dlsclosed in my c0- pending application, Serial Number 167,358, filed May 8,A 1917.

The Ainvention resides in the provision of novel actuating means and improved features of construction, toenhance the utility and efliciency of the signal.

With the foregoing and other objectsin view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi- Ination and :rangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention hereindisclosed can be made within the scope oi what is claimed, without de parting from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein':

Figure 1 is a plan view of the signal device, the actuating .mechanism not .being shown. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the complete device, portions being broken away and others v shown in section.

. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on of Fig. 2. -f y Fig. 4 is a. sectional -detail of the pedal operated means.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a holder for the fiexible wire tubing.

Fig. 6 is a lan view of a modified form of clamp brachet.

Fig. 7 is-alongitudinal section of a modified form of spring means' for the actuating wlre.

the line 3-3 Fig. 8 is afdetail view a, modified formi" of spring.' f n The slgnal 'memberarm 1 1s of lazy` ton construction, embodyin crossed .pivote levers connected by eye ets 2, and the arm is provided at its Afree end with a link 3 in theform of an index carrying a lamp socket 4 fitted within a recess 5in the index, said recess providingresilient prongs The present invention relates to vehicle and hold `it inplace. 'The socket 4 holdsa removable lampibulb 8, one terminal of the' and arm 1, while the other terminal of the `bulb is connected throughthe medium ofy the socket 4 with an insulated. conductor 9 threaded back and forthfthr'ough the eyelets i' Specification of Letters` Patent. Patnted July 30, 1918s Application mea. June 21,1917.' seriai No, 177,316, r

55 having lugs ont'eeth 7 to engage the socket f lbulbv being grounded by Way of thel socket 4 2. The bulb 8' can be lighted during dark- :v`

ness, and will be projected and retracted with the index when the arm' 1 is extended.4

and contracted.

An open en ed basing!) o f'sheet-metal or' other suitable material' is provided for receiving and housing the arm 1 when 1t is contracted, .androne end of the casing 9 1s supportedl by a head 10, having'the portion' 11 fitted within the end of -the.casi11g,"sa id casing being secured to the portion 11 by means of screws 12 or the like. The-'head 10.

has a-Vertical flange 13 projecting within the -f casing 9-for supporting the arm 1. Onelever of the arm 1 at the basal endthereo4 is pivoted, asat 14, to the fiange 13 at one side' near the lower end thereof, andthe other lever of rthe arm-1 at'thebasal en d" thereof is pivotally and slidably connected to. the flange 13 by means of-avertical rod. Y 15 at one side ofthe flange 13 having atits upperend a finger 15 vextending at an angle through said lever' and through afvertical longitudinal slot 16 ,with which the fiange 13 is provided. The finger 15a thus'serveg as a pivot .for the vrespective lever, and4 is movable vertically Afor extending and contracting the Castv 4integral with the head 10 and its flange 13is a thickened portion 16 having a vertical 'bore 17 therein re'- ceiving a coiled wire expansion spring 1 8 the finger 15, whereby to raisesaidfingen 'and contract the arm 1 when freeto do whichsurrounds the rod 15 and bears again`1 .t..954

An actuatingv wire or otherfiexible element..

of the rod 15.y within the spring 18 and ex! tends slidably through 4a .plug 20 extending 19 has one end connected tothe lower end upwardly through the bottom of the casing 9 andthreadedly engaging the lower end of the portion 1 6 below the bore 17. Attached to the plug 20 by means of solder or other# wise, is a coiled wire tube or the actuating v wire `19 v,th-roug Whichlthe latter wire extends slidably, in orderthnt ide 21 for,

when the wire 19 is pulled, this will pull the rod l5 downwardly', to extend the arm 1 Ytor signalimgpurposes, and when the wire 19 is released, the spring 1S in recoiling or expanding` will contract the arm.

ln ordei to support the device, there is provided a clamp bracket 22 to engage the wind shield or other object (Fig. 6 shows a modified t'orm olf bracket 22 having ditlerently shaped jaws), and the bracket 22 has a stud 23 supporting a bracket arm24. provided with a clamp 25 at one end embracing the stud to enable the arm 24 to be adjusted about the vertical axis ot the stud. The arm 24 is provided at its other end with a clamp 26 at right angles with the clamp 25 and embracing outstanding shank 27 with which the head 10 is provided, in order that the casing and signal arm can be adjusted about a horizontal axis.

It is preferable and desirable to provide a mirror 2S attached to t-he rear side of the casing 9. in order that the operator can observe in the mirror, vehicles in rear, while the iti-ont side of the easing can be used for supporting an electric lamp 29 to provide a spotor search-light.

The electrical connections for the lamp or bulb S and lamp 29 embody a plate or piece 30 of insulating material fitted against one side of the casing within the same at one side of the flange 13. and a leaf spring contact 31 is fastened to the insulation 30 by means of a bolt 32 or otherwise, said leaf spring- 31 and its securing means being insulated from the casing., The insulation 30 is preferably secured to the side of the casing by means of eyelets 33, the conductor 9 extending outwardly through one of the eyelets. Another conductor 34 extends through another eyelct and is fastened to the contact 31. A conductor 35 is connected to the lamp 29, and a conductor 36 connects said lamp with the spring contact 31, and extends through the third eyelet The conductors 9. 34 and 35 are connected to the source of electrical energy and controlling switches (not shown). VVhe-n the circuit of'conductors 34 and 35 is closed, this will light the lamp 29, the conductor 34 being the feed wire, and when the rod 15 is moved downwardly to project the signal member, the finger 15n will brush against the spring contact 31, and close the circuit of the bulb or lamp 8 to render the signal effective when it is dark.

The actuating means embodies a tubular post or guide 37 having its lower end threadedly or otherwise secured to a boss of a base plate 8S which can be secured by means of screws or otherwise to the dash or footboard of the automobile to hold the post 37 in place adjacent to the brake pedal P. A cap 39 is threaded or otherwise engaged upon the upper end of the post 37 andhas attached thereto, a removable screw plug 40 to which the lower end of the tube 21 is secured, the wire 19 extending slidably through the plug 40 into the post 37. The post 37 has a longitudinal slot 41 through which an operating member or follower 42 extends under the pedal P. The member 42 is threaded or otherwise secured to the upper end of a guide rod 43 arranged Within the post 37 and sliding through the base plate 38. A coiled wire elastic spring 44 has its ends attached to the upper endr of the rod 43 and end of the wire 19. The spring 44 is of such construction that when the member 42 is started downward, the spring will pull the wire 19 thereby to extend the signal arm immediately, and after the arm has been extended, the spring 44 is capable of being stretched,te'permit of the further movei'nent of the member 42 with the pedal P. The pedal P can, therefore, be used .to operate the signal member since the first part of the movement of the pedal serves to operate the member 42'sufiiciently to extend the signal arm, the remainder ot' the movement of the member 42 with the pedal simply stretching the spring 44. The member .42 can be used as a pedal in some cases, to be operated by the foot, for extending the signal arm at will. A spring 42 raises member 42.

A holder for the tube 21 can be employed, the same embodying a U-shaped clamp member 45 to straddle an edge of the dash or other supporting member, and a clamp 4G embraces the tube 21 between its ends, and serves to support it, said clamp 46 being scoured to the member 45 by means of a screw 47 or other suitable means. A clamping screw 48 is threaded through the other limb of the member 45 to clamp it to the dash or supporting member. The screw 47 when tightened clamps the clamp 46 tightly against the member 45, the screw 47 being Areadily engaged by a screw driver inserted through the aperture of the member 45 when the screw 48 is removed.

In Fig. 7 a modified form of spring means for the actuating means is shown. Thus, there is provided a tubular member 37 havving the caps 38 and 39 at its ends, the tube 21 being secured to the cap 39', and a rod or wire 43 sliding through the cap 38 and having a hook or other means 42 to be eonnected to the brake pedal or other operating member. The' coil elastic spring 44' is disposed within the tubular member 37 and connects the wire 19 with the rod 43, there being a `flexible joint between the spring and rod 43. As shown in Fig. 8, the elastic spring 44 has one end extended longitudinally to provide an integral actuating rod 43 having the hook 4 or other means of connecting it to the pedal or actuating member.

Having .hus described the invention, what is claimed new is:

1. A device of the character described, embodying a head, a lazy tong signal arm having levers, one lever being pivoted to the head, a rod engaging another lever of the arm and slidably engaging the head, an expansion spring surrounding said rod and confined between the head and the last mentioned lever to contract the arm, a' flexible 3. A :device of the character described, ein--A bodying a head, a movable signal member carried thereby, a tubular member, a tube connected to said member and extending to the head, a flexible Wire extending through said tube and connected to the signal member, an actuating member movable Within the tubular member and extending therefrom, and an elastic spring Within the tubular member connecting the actuating member and Wire.

4. A device ofthe character described, embodying a head, a movable signal member carried thereby, a tube, actuating means connected to the tube and including Wire extending through the tube and connected to the signal member, a supporting member, and means carried by the supporting meinber for supporting the tube between its ends.

5. A device of the character described, embodyin` a head, a movable signal member carriedl thereby, a tube extending to the head, actuating means to which the tube is connected and including a flexible Wire extending through the tube and connected to the signal member, a U-shaped member, a clamp for the tube, means for securing said 4clamp to said member, and a clamping screw carried by said member opposite to the last mentioned means.

n testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FELIX J. BENITOA. Vitnesses:

EDWARD AJELLO, BENJAMIN KEEFE. 

